16 Tips for Relocating to a New Town

Moving is always hard work but moving to a new town can be exceptionally hard, even when you are excited about your next chapter in life. As your real estate agent, I can refer you to an agent in your new town to help you find your new home, and also give you referrals for other services you will need, such recommendations for hotels, restaurants, child care, and pet boarding while you get settled.

To help make the logistics of your relocation as smooth as possible, here are some to-do items you may not have thought about yet.

1. As soon as you know you will be moving, start to organize your belongings, getting rid of things you don’t want to take with you.

2. Collect used packing materials like boxes and bubble wrap to reduce what you will need to purchase.

3. Start packing items you don’t use daily, like family mementos, holiday decorations, books and décor accessories.

4. Get an estimate from moving companies and schedule a tentative date with the one you choose.

5. Visit your new town, if possible, and arrange a driving tour with a real estate agent that can show you different neighborhoods, shopping centers, and the locations of hospitals, schools, churches, and recreational facilities or parks.

6. When you know what school district your children will enroll in, visit the schools your children will attend to meet the principal and tour the grounds.

7. Once you know what neighborhood you will be living in, join Nextdoor or the neighborhood Facebook page to keep abreast of what’s happening there.

8. Locate and pack your important papers and ID’s so that you know where they are at all times.

9. If your company is offering you relocation services, make sure you know all the terms. Often, they will cover items you might not think about, like the cost of shipping your car or professional organizers to help you unpack. They may also be negotiable in what they cover.

10. Save all your moving expense receipts. If you are moving 50 miles or more from your old job to start a new job, your expenses may be tax deductible.

11. Make a list of services you need to terminate in your old town and services you need to initiate in your new town.

12. If you have doctor, dentist, veterinary, or hair appointments scheduled ahead of time, call and cancel them.

13. Remember to transfer subscriptions for things like magazines, food deliveries, and mail-order prescriptions.

14. Change your delivery address on your Amazon, Target, Shipt, or other shopping accounts so you don’t accidentally ship items to your old address.

15. Schedule an appointment to transfer your automobile registration and driver’s license if moving to a new state.

16. Transfer your voter’s registration right away, especially if your move if close to a major election registration deadline.